Take It or Leave It
by f0xygrandma15
Summary: Sequel to 'Complex Attractions'...this time we focus more on Harry and Ginny as they try to move on...can they do it?
1.

Hey guys! Here it is, all ready for ya! It's chapter one…I hope you all like it! It's pretty much the same as the last one, I mean, it's not written any differently…well, what am I blabbering about?? I'm sure you all just want to read it…Go on then, enjoy! And please review!

Lauren

Disclaimer: Me no own Harry Potter.

Chapter one

Pondering the Past

Harry turned over onto his side, nestled his head into his pillow, and closed his eyes. A moment later, he flipped onto his stomach and pulled the covers close to him. And after that, he lay on his back and looked up at the ceiling. There was no point in denying it. He simply couldn't sleep. After he watched the moonlight dance on the ceiling for a while, (he realized finally why Ron enjoyed it so much) he decided that since he was up, he might as well do something productive. He looked around the room, but nothing interested him. Until his eyes fell across his Firebolt. He grabbed it and his cloak and was about to wake Ron, but then thought against it. Besides, it was three in the morning. Ron probably wanted to get as much sleep as he could, seeing as tomorrow was the first day of the term. Though he probably could use the practice, since Quidditch tryouts were at the end of the week. Ron was still determined to make keeper, and he had Harry's full support. Hermione had been a little skeptical at first. Not that she doubted Ron's skill at all, she knew he would do well. But how was he supposed to keep up with his homework every night? They had seen him over the past 4 seasons of Quidditch, and he always seemed a little worn out from all the work. After a couple of days, each and every one of her arguments was shot down, and so she resigned from arguing and let him have his way. 

Harry slowly opened the door and found his way down the stairs with his hands against the walls. He nearly tumbled over on the last step, thinking he had reached the bottom, but luckily someone was there to catch him. He straightened himself as he looked up.

"Ron? What are you doing out of bed?" he asked curiously. Boy would he have gotten a surprise if he had decided to wake him up after all. He looked over to the wall and understood. There was Ron's broom.

"Oh, well, just flying is all. I couldn't sleep, so I figured I'd practice some. Looks like you had the same idea…" he said happily.

"Well, come on then, let's go." Ron said, leading him out of the portrait hole. 

"Ron, how did you get outside? You didn't take the cloak…" Harry asked confused, as they headed down the hallway under said cloak. 

"I was just really careful. That's all."

"Well, you could have taken it, you know."

Ron blushed. 

"Harry, I didn't want to take it without asking, I mean, I know it always bugs me when Ginny comes and borrows my stuff without asking, so I've learned not to do it as well."

Ron chuckled, but fell silent as he looked over and saw the look of remorse on his best friend's face. He had tried really hard not to mention her the past few days, but he had slipped up this time. He lowered his head apologetically and walked the remainder of the way in silence.

Harry had found it hard not to think about her. Everywhere he went he heard her voice, whether she was actually there or in his mind. But she was always present to him. And when he did see her, they usually exchanged small, petty grins and carried on with their business. Harry thought it quite fortunate that they didn't have any classes together, but eating was always a problem. The four crusaders were so used to sitting together, but now either Harry or Ginny left. When Harry left, he sat on the other side of Dean, Neville and Seamus, and when Ginny left, she sat with the other girls in her dorm. It was a little distressing deciding who would leave when they all arrived at the table. But over the past few meals they had established an 'every-other-meal' routine. Which seemed to be working very well. Aside from the fact that all of this was completely pathetic. At least Ron and Hermione saw it as such.

Being in the common room was, if possible, worse. They had usually hung out in the chairs, or anywhere in that vicinity, but then again, Ginny had often sat in Harry's lap when there weren't enough. Needless, there would be no such events taking place any time soon. So, in said situation, Ginny would just sort of sigh and wander off aimlessly around the common room from group to group until she found someplace to settle comfortably. True, Harry was always willing to have Ginny on his lap, but he never made the offer. Hell, why would she accept? They had just broken up. Ha.

They made it to the front doors and pushed them open carefully. They slid through and closed them quickly, then took off running for the pitch. Harry got there first and kicked off quickly. The minute he felt the cool air blow through his hair, he felt relaxed. Nothing could ever beat flying. Well, besides being in Ginny's arms…_Stop thinking about her! Now! Just…just fly! _Soon Ron met him in the air, unaware of Harry's thought, but cautious all the same. 

"So, shall we?"

It seemed to be working, he hadn't thought about her for a full…five minutes. Just as he had gotten almost totally absorbed in his maneuvering, he looked down and saw the spot he had been standing in when he called her Weasley. _Why am I thinking about this? It's over! I can't fix the past, just get over it!_ With that he dove into a Wronski Feint, Ron watching in awe.

Harry was about three feet from the ground when he pulled his broom up, but he wasn't even thinking about it. He was still stuck on **her**. _Get out of my head!!!!!_ he yelled. Ron guessed this was why he hadn't noticed the wall. 

"Harry! Harry, are you all right?" Ron asked as he leapt off his broom and took off towards Harry's crumpled form, which was lying on the ground. Ron knelt down and turned him over, which caused him to moan. 

"Rooooooon, what happened…" he asked, clutching his shoulder.

"Well, let's see, you pulled out of the Feint, yelled at my sister, and then crashed into a wall…I think that about covers it," he joked. But Harry didn't laugh. _What is she doing to me?? Merlin, this is going to be tougher than I imagined…_


	2. Suppressing Sentiments

Hey guy! It's Lauren here with chapter two. Yes, yes, Harry and Ginny! So cute, no? Well, don't be so sure…don't wanna give anything away, but I also don't want you to get your hopes up too soon…Anyway, thank you to all of you who put me on their favorites list, and all of you who continue to read my story! I love you guys, this is just too cool! I feel so pleasant inside! Sort of mushy, you might say. Which is why I had to write this chapter, cause you guys were right, it was sort of tearing me up, all this drama and sadness. So here's a bit of a cheery chapter for you. It won't last too long though…Ah, giving things away again! Just enjoy!! And Mandi, I have to say, you are one of the coolest people I've ever…been reviewed by? I can't really say I've met you, can I…anyway, you are hilarious! I loved the extra-long review. And I hope to answer all your questions soon! Keep reading! (pwease??) hehehe…

Lauren

Disclaimer: I had a very nice dream where I owned Harry Potter! And I do own that dream…but alas, I do not own Harry Potter. Durn it!

Chapter two

Suppressing Sentiments

When Ginny and Hermione went down to breakfast four hours later, they noticed that Ron and Harry weren't there. They hadn't seen them in the common room earlier, and Hermione had even gone upstairs to wake the boys up, but their beds had been empty. Ginny felt slightly relieved, but at the same time, she worried about what could have happened. Knowing Harry and his knack for trouble…_Oh Merlin, if he's not okay, I don't know what I'll do…wait, did I just think what I think I thought? Oi…_ So the girls sat down and began to eat, having concluded that the boys were probably nervous for the start of term and couldn't eat. (_Since when doesn't Ron eat?_) Therefore they weren't surprised when they hadn't shown up by the end of breakfast. 

The girls returned to the common room, thinking the boys would at least be back when they got there, but it was empty, except for Lavender, who was in the corner organizing her books. Ginny almost threw her a glare, but realized that there technically was no need for it. Hermione waited in the common room while Ginny went to her room to get her bag. They climbed back through the portrait hole and took off down the hallway. When they reached the stairs to the dungeons, Ginny said farewell reluctantly, hoping they could still look for the boys, but as she had no choice, and she also didn't like the fact that she was so worried about Harry, she descended the stairs to Potions. Hermione was on her way to Transfiguration when she suddenly had the urge to go back upstairs. She followed her feet and found her passing down the hallway past the hospital wing when she bumped into someone.

"Hermione?"

"Ron! There you are! Where have you been all morning??" she asked, relieved. She had been so worried. She swept herself onto her toes and pecked his lips softly.

Ron blushed. _What a wonderful morning greeting! _He thought happily. Then getting back to the situation on hand…

"Well, Harry er, hurt himself earlier, so I was with him and Madame Pomfrey," he said hesitantly, knowing she would ask about the incident.

"He did?? Is he okay? What happened? Is it serious?" she shrilled, grabbing his hand and squeezing them slightly. _Of course she would ask…_

Ron thought for a moment. Now, he had two choices: he could either lie about sneaking out and say that Harry…took a fall down the stairs, but there was a chance the severity of the accident would make it an obvious fabrication, therefore making Hermione angry that he lied…or he could be honest and just get it over with. Sure, she would be mad at first, and there's the fact that she might feel obligated by her prefect duties, and the ornery scolding that would follow inevitably, and the disapproving glares they would receive for the next few days…but the sooner she knew the sooner it all would blow over.

"Ron…are you okay?" Hermione asked, interrupting the peaceful silence in which Ron was deciding.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry. I was just replaying the scene in my head…man, he took quite a tumble down those stairs. They're really dangerous actually. You wouldn't think so, until all of a sudden—bam. There you go, into the wall. Poor Harry…" he said reminiscently. 

Just then, Harry entered the hallway, and Hermione gasped. Well, she had reason to, really. His right shoulder was wrapped in a large bandage, and his right arm was in a sling. Not only that, but he had the nastiest bruise starting on the right side of his collarbone… Harry looked downright ecstatic. 

"Harry! Are you all right? Does it hurt too bad? All this really happened from falling down the stairs?!?!"

Ron and Harry exchanged looks, and the corners of Ron's mouth curled up ever so slightly. 

"Oh yeah, nasty those stairs are, I'm telling you…" Harry said, his face turning dramatically serious.

"I'll have to report this to McGonagall, the stairs can't stay like that!" she said importantly. She started down the hallway, then turned around to blow Ron a kiss. Ron quickly smiled back at her—he had been rolling his eyes and mocking her superiority. After a good laugh, he held out his arm to help Harry along. 

Throughout all of their classes, everyone stared in awe at Harry's, well, condition, while Ron told the fabulous heroic tale of Harry's last moment of grace before he fell into shadow. He must have told that story about 10 times during each class, which totals up to…a lot. Hermione scowled every time he opened his mouth now. But Harry found it quite amusing, it took his mind off things. 

Lunch came, and the three of them made their way to the great hall, but Ginny didn't show up, even thought it was Harry's turn to leave, so this time he stayed. _I wonder where she is…_ he thought. _No! Stop it! Stop it stop it stop it! EAT!!!_ Ron laughed at the look on Harry's face…he looked like he was about to explode. Hermione kicked him under the table, of course, and Ron shut up. 

"Harry, is everything okay?" she asked sweetly. _Oh yes, everything's juuust peachy…_

"Yeah, I'm just uh, in a little pain," he replied, not really lying after all.

Just then, Ginny entered the great hall looking quite flushed. She plopped down next to Harry, not even looking at him, but not really remembering their whole 'system' either. And Harry really didn't mind at all. She reached over to retrieve her glass when she caught a glimpse of Harry's arm, spilling orange juice all over the table.

"HARRY! What happened to you??" she practically yelled in shock.

"Oh, um, took a tumble down the stairs…" he said nervously, trying to hide his smile. They hadn't spoken in days, when…_She cares!_

"But, how is that possible? I've fallen down stairs before, and I wasn't hurt nearly as bad!"

Harry and Ron went red in the face. _Umm…great, now what?_

"Well, I was propelled at a high speed, which increased the level of impact…which is why I'm hurt so badly." _Wow, where did he come up with that?? _thought Ron. Harry was wondering the same thing.

Ron and Hermione looked on hopefully as a sort of loving expression came upon Ginny's face, but they were both greatly disappointed when it promptly left, and was replaced by a scowl.

"Well, that's too bad I suppose…" she said carelessly, turning to join the conversation taking place to her right. Harry had hoped she would talk to him a little longer, but hadn't really depended on it, so he wasn't as let down by this. He just started staring out the window despondently and didn't touch his plate for the rest of lunch. Ginny carefully glanced over her shoulder every now and then to see if he was okay, but other than that their interaction was pretty much void.

_Man, those two are just completely nutters…_ Ron thought annoyed. _This had better pass soon…with a little help from his friends…_

As if Hermione were reading his mind, she gave him a mischievous grin and stood up to leave, beckoning for him to follow. 

"Uh, we'll be right back…" she said as they turned to leave.

Little did they know they had completely abandoned Harry, who looked like a train wreck. _Oh, isn't this just dandy…_ he thought as he attracted stares from both ends of the table.


	3. Ironic Information

Hey guys! Lauren here with chapter three! I hope you all like it! Though I know it kinda sucks. A lot. But it's because I was in a rush to give it to you all! So I apologize if you odn't think it's as good as the other ones. Anyway, I just want to say thank you to irusta, who doesn't review the same story more than once! But she did for me! That is so nice, I'm glad you made my story an exception! And I'd also like to thank the anonymous reviewer who said, and I quote, "You are SO my idol!" That was too awesome, I feel so special! You are all too good to me! You make writing this worthwhile! I looove you guys! Okay, enough with the mush, on with the story! I hope you guys like this one! Enjoy! And don't forget to review! Oh yeah, and I'm glad you guys like the disclaimers…here's another for ya!

Lauren

Disclaimer: Currently, none of the characters in this story own Harry Potter, although one of them wished she did…and two others wished she did as well…maybe someone else even wishes they did…*evil smirk* dun dun DUN!!! But in real life, only J.K. owns Harry Potter, though oddly enough she refuses to publish a story about him! Strange, if you ask me…

Chapter three

Ironic Information

Hermione led Ron out into the hallway and spun him around the corner. Ron recognized that look in her eyes…

"Ron, we **have to get them back together!" she said desperately.**

"What?? Are you sure about this? I mean, if we were getting them together for the first time, I would have no doubts, but they've only just broken up, and even though I know they both want to be together, don't you think it's a little wrong to interfere? Hermione, I don't think it's our business…they broke up for a reason, maybe they shouldn't be together after all…" he said, wondering what the hell he was talking about. _Am I serious? No one deserves to be together more than they do! Okay, well, 'cept maybe me and Mione…Ron smiled, then blushed like crazy at the realization of his own thought. Hermione looked at him like he was insane. __Is he blushing because he thinks they shouldn't be together? What the hell?_

"Ron-"

"Okay, okay, you're right, they have to be together! It's crazy, what do they think they're doing? They're so blind to the fact that they absolutely love each other, and they should work out their problems instead of just break up because of them! Sheesh!" he cried. \he had expected her to try and convince him to cooperate with her, but he had sort of gone off on a tangent there. He caught his breath as Hermione smiled.

"Ron, I was going to ask you why you had been blushing…but never mind. Anyway, I agree, they should realize what they mean to each other. And that was quite insightful of you Ron, they really should work through their issues instead of give up at the first sign of trouble." Ron blushed yet again, happy that Hermione was actually praising him. 

After a few seconds, he snapped out of it. 

"Okay, so what do we do?" he asked, leaning in secretively and expecting her to hit him with the plan that had been previously formulated in that brilliant mind of hers. But Hermione stared back at him blankly.

"Er, well, I have no idea actually…" she replied dimly.

"Hmm, well no worries, with our ingeniously mischievous minds we'll have a plan in no time," he said as he put his arm around her shoulder and led her back into the great hall.

"Remember last time?" he asked with a broad grin. Hermione's eyes lit up.

"Hehehe, they still don't know it was us, do they?" she said cheerily. She and Ron were brilliant indeed…

They sat down in their seats and smiled at the lost-in-space Harry, who eventually returned to the table and smiled back faintly. _Well, looks like they had a good snog… he noted observing the big grins on their faces._

Ginny turned back to their party and asked where they had gone off to, but she 

Only received smiles as an answer. _Well, looks like they had a good snog…she noted. __Eew__, bad mental image...Eew! She shrieked mentally asshe tried to think of anyone else but them kissing. _

_McGonagall and Snape…now that would be frightening! Hagrid and Madame Hooch, interesting combination, but strange nonetheless. She looked around the room to find her next victims when her eyes fell upon Millicent Bulstrode. __Ah, Millie, Millie…now let's find you a match…Her eyes took off again down the Slytherin table—for who else would she kiss? Anyone from any other house would be pure torture—when she saw Malfoy. __Ah, yes, Malfoy…_

But then she remembered that **she had kissed Malfoy. _Oh dear, I suppose I should talk to him about that. I wonder what he thinks of all this…She looked over at Harry, who was shuffling his feet under the table and staring out the window again. __Poor Harry, I miss him…no! No I don't! Crazy! She stood up suddenly, said her hurried farewells, and headed for the entrance hall. On the way there, she caught Malfoy's eye, jerked her head towards her destination, and continued on. Malfoy looked around confusedly, checking to see if anyone had witnessed what he thought had just happened. __What is she doing? But he followed her anyway. Ron's eyes followed him, and he felt his mouth drop open. Harry turned around to see the last of Malfoy before he turned the corner, at which point he sank down into his seat. _**

Ginny kept walking until she reached the top of the stairs, then turned around. Malfoy was only a few feet behind. As soon as he stopped in front of her, she opened her mouth to speak. 

"Malfoy, I wanted to talk to you about what happened the other day…um, I was wondering what you thought about all of it…" she said cautiously, making sure she didn't imply anything before he had said his piece. 

"Ginny, I know I sort of kissed you, and I'm uh, I'm sorry I did it. I mean, not that it was bad, because it was nice, but um…I didn't mean anything by it…" he paused and waited for her answer, but she stayed silent and focused, listening intently, so he thought it safe to continue.

"It was just a spur of the moment type thing, and nothing more…is that okay?"

Ginny felt relieved. _Thank god, I really would have hated to tell him that it was a mistake…_

"Malfoy, that's fine. I'm relieved, really. I um, er…thank you. I'm glad we've got that straightened out."

She smiled politely and turned to go, but Malfoy held her back.

"Don't you want to know why I did it?"

"Didn't you just tell me?" she asked, confused.

"No, no, I meant the potion…"

Half an hour later, Ginny walked back down the steps a much more understanding person. She also felt a little lucky. Lucky that Draco (as she would call him from now on) had trusted her enough to be so honest with her. It was as if they had become…friends. Wait, how did that work? They kissed and then became friends? No, no, they were enemies, had a snowball fight, kissed, and **then became friends? Riiiight…**

She returned to the great hall to find that the three of them were some of the only people left in the room. She sat down next to Harry and almost told him everything Draco had said, but she remembered that they weren't really speaking. So she looked dejectedly at her feet and shut her mouth. Besides, it probably wasn't wise to bring up the fact that Draco had almost ruined everything out of his mad, desperate jealousy for Harry and his need to ruin Harry's life as well as his own, so that he at least wouldn't be the only one…then again, Ginny thought that Harry probably didn't even care anymore. He probably didn't even care about **her anymore…While she was thinking about this, a tear numbly made its way down her cheek. But she was too deep in thought to notice. **

Harry noticed though. He instinctively swept it from her face with his finger.

"Ginny, are you alright?" he asked sincerely.

"Hm? Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking…"

Ironic how the thing she was crying about was defied just as she cried about it…


	4. Revolting Revelations

Hey there you guys! I'm so so so so sorry that it's been three days, but let me explain: my computer decided to stop working a few days ago, so after hours and hours of trying to fix it, my dad decided it was time for him to take it in to get fixed by a professional. But right now, they're really busy, so I probably won't get it back for another two weeks or so. ARGH! So the only way I can upload is here at school. So I'm doing it right now, and then I'll go home and handwrite the next chapter, and if I get a chance tomorrow I'll load it then. I can do one on Wednesday, and I'll do my best to upload as often as I can after that, since finals start on Thursday. Don't worry, I'll do one AT LEAST every other day., alright? So hang in there1 Oi! Computers are dumb! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, and I'm glad you guys all loved the last one, so here we go! Thanks for hanging in there you guys1

Lauren

Disclaimer: I'm just as busy as J.K. right now, but that does not mean I own Harry Potter! Man, I can't think of a better one today, sorry guys…

Chapter four

Ginny looked up at Harry. _He—he cares? But I thought that—_

"Ginny, what is it? What's wrong?" 

_boy__, he sure is making this hard…_

All she wanted to do right then was cuddle up in his arms and take back everything she said that night and make everything better again. And Harry wasn't helping the situation either. He kept rubbing her hand, trying to coax her into revealing whatever it was she was hiding.

_What is he doing? It almost seems like…no, what am I thinking? Of course he doesn't…_

Harry didn't know why he was stroking her hand, but all he knew was that he wanted to take her into his arms and make her feel better, and appease whatever troubles were on her mind. _What am I doing? Ah, we broke up, remember?? She probably still thinks you love her…wait, do I still love her? _

Giny tried hard to look away from his green eyes, but they seemed to have her locked in a tight grip. She gulped, not knowing what else to do. _Yes, I love her… he thought, pulling his hand away. _

"Wait--" she said, without thinking.

"What?"

"Um, I just remembered, I'm going to be late for Arithmancy!" she yelped, taking off like a bullet. Harry sighed and turned back to the window. _Ah, I knew it…it's hopeless, I don't know what I was thinking…_

Ron and Hermione watched in pain. They had been so close…but at least they knew how Harry and Ginny really felt for each other. Now they were sure they could do something about it. 

"Come on Harry, we've got Care of Magical creatures next, you know you don't want to be late for that!!" he said with a hint of cheery sarcasm. Harry smiled weakly as he stood up, banging his elbow against the table as he turned. 

Harry was in utter disbelief at the quality of his day. He stared at the ground all the way to Hagrid's hut, clutching his elbow tightly as it burned under his hand. As soon as they reached the hut, Hagrid noticed the frustration on Harry's face. 

"Blimey Harry, you look like you've just been-"

But Ron gave him a look that could only mean _don't__ even start…_

Ron and Hermione spent the rest of the class whispering to each other about their plan. Not like Harry would care, he was too busy sulking. _How did I let this happen? I love her! Why did I just- just give up? I don't know what to do, I blew it…she wouldn't take me back, what a joke…_

Harry didn't even notice when Ron and Hermione ran off after class without even saying goodbye. He just moped his way back to the common room, thinking he could just sit in a chair and fall asleep. Really, that was the only thing he could think of enjoying at that moment. But as soon as he got there, Ginny was already sitting there, looking into the fire. Harry thought about talking to her, but he wasn't quite sure he liked the direction his thoughts were leading him in. so he headed upstairs silently. Ginny heard a creak from behind her and turned around, and as she saw Harry's foot take it's last step before entering the dorm, she nearly called out his name. But the invisible hand of logic clasped over her mouth, and she turned back around, sadly. _What was I thinking, he's probably already moved on or something…_

Meanwhile…

Ron, are you sure we can do this without the cloak?? We have nothing to protect us! We're sneaking around in broad daylight, and anyone could see us! Why does this seem like a bad idea…" she said sarcastically, but Ron calmed her and led her down a hallway she had never seen before.

"Hermione, I've done this before, without Harry's cloak! Why, just the other night I did it, before I saw Harry, and I made it to the Quidditch pitch just fine! I promise, it's perfectly safe…"

Hermione drew her eyes up to Ron's, and he could feel her icy glare stinging him. _Oh god, what did I just say that for??_

"You did **what?? When was this? You ****know you're not supposed to be sneaking out at night! And without a cloak?? And what do you mean 'before you saw Harry'?? You got Harry into this too??"**

Ron was silent. _Three, two, one…_

"Is **that how Harry hurt himself?!?!? Ronald Weasley, I swear…how could you be so irresponsible? It's going to take him two months to recover from that! Even if Pomfrey healed the break, she can't get rid of the pain! Oh, Ron, how do I-"**

But she didn't get to finish. Ron clapped his hand over her mouth and pulled her backwards as a voice approached. Hermione gave a bit of a yelp, but heeded his strength and calmed down. 

As soon as Snape headed around the corner, Ron and Hermione cautiously made their way down the steps to the dungeons. _Thank god Snape's going the other way…_

Ron pushed the door open slowly and let Hermione slide in before him. As he shut the door, he heard Hermione open the cabinet door, and a memory came back to him. Hermione was waiting for him to catch up with her, but he just stood there, looking at the wall. 

"Ron, what is it?" she asked, a bit impatiently.

"Hm? Oh, nothing. Just thinking…"

"Come here and help me find this stuff…it should be somewhere in the back, as I assume he doesn't use it very often…Ron, what are you doing?"

Well, Ron was just thinking about the last time they were in that room together, gathering ingredients for the potion to use against Malfoy…yes, that was a good day indeed. But he was brought back to the present by their current need for veritaserum.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. Anyway, shall I look on the bottom shelf then?" he asked, slightly put out by the interruption. 

"Sure, why don't you do that?" she said, rolling her eyes.

A few minutes later, Ron had found the small vial on the third shelf. After boasting, much to Hermione's embarrassment, he gave her a small kiss, as to make up for the fact that for maybe the first time ever, he succeeded, and she didn't. She accepted the apologetic offering, and suddenly she remembered the last time they had been in that room together…when he had kissed her. Good thing she didn't have a jar in her hand this time, because she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. 

"Hermione, not in here…remember? Unless you like Mrs. Norris watching us…" he said with a grin.

She took his hand and led him through the dungeon door and safely around the corner.

It took 20 minutes of begging and convincing (and buying time for Hermione) to get Harry downstairs for dinner. But then again, Ron was good at that sort of thing. Well, both Ron and Hermione were, but Ron only had to use his natural charm to get his way, when Hermione only knew to use logic and harsh punishment. So Ron took control of this one. According to Ron, Hermione had headed off without them so she could eat early and head off to the library. And Ginny? Well, of course Ron had to mention something about Ginny asking about him downstairs. Now, she really didn't, but Harry didn't have to know about that. He willingly followed, trying in vain not to get his hopes up. They made it downstairs and found that Hermione hadn't left yet, much to Ron's 'surprise'.  He sat next to her, and the only space open was…next to Ginny. She shifted uncomfortably as he sat down next to her, and already he could feel the tension between them. But Ron and Hermione were all smiles, which sort of freaked Ginny out, to be perfectly honest. But she didn't mention this, just ate silently, trying to pass the time. 

Hermione could barely control herself as Ginny reached for her orange juice, and it was all Ron could do to stop her by stepping on her foot and holding her hand. Thankfully, she contained her gleeful squeal as Ginny took a long sip. Ron was almost laughing now as he leaned in to casually converse with Ginny. 

"So, I noticed that you're sitting next to Harry…nervous?" he asked as Harry turned at the mention of his name.

"Nervous? Are you kidding me? That's like asking me if you're in love with Hermione, which is, needless to say, completely obvious! I mean, you talk about marrying her all the time! Mind you, you don't say it directly to me, I usually just happen to overhear…Anyway, look at me, I can barely eat without feeling self-conscious, and that's saying something, being a Weasley and all. And between you and me, I think Harry hates me. Honestly, I really do!"

Ron blushed as Hermione stared at him. _Oh Merlin, oh Merlin, oh Merlin…this isn't right at all! Is she looking at me? She's looking at me. I can't look, I can't look. What if she freaks out? I can't believe she said that! She was listening? She **heard that? That's not supposed to happen! Oi, oi, oi… **_

Harry looked at Ginny in surprise. He pushed his goblet away and stood up, looking at the three of them in shock. What was going on? All he knew was that he was completely embarrassed by all of this, even if he hadn't said anything revealing. He looked back and forth between the red Ron, the groundless Ginny, and the harbored Hermione, and then gave one look at the goblet. Without thinking twice, scooped it up in his hands and drained it. He was ready. If he wanted Ginny back, he would have to take a risk, right?

"Um, Harry, we didn't put any in yours…it wouldn't have made much sense now, would it? I mean, if both of you were under the spell, you wouldn't have heard each other…" Ron said in response to Harry's supposed bravery. He sat back down, more embarrassed than before, and looked at Ginny.

"Uh, Ginny, I was um…" he couldn't ask her! What kind of person asks someone if they still love him? Even if she was forced to tell the truth, it would still be weird. Besides, he wasn't quite sure he wanted to hear the answer. What if it was no? What if she was just nervous because she couldn't stand him? He stood up again and waved goodbye, then headed out of the great hall.

"Ginny, do you still love Harry?" Ron asked hurriedly.


	5. Tedious Trials

Hey guys! Lauren here! Chapter…five? Chapter five is here! Hope you all like it! Oh, and on another note, if you guys want to read the alternate ending, I'll post it on Complex Attractions if you'd like. But I have to ask Madison to send it to me first, as the only other copy is on my computer…would you mind Madison? Just send it on over to me, and if you don't still have my email address, it's in my bio. I'll post it as soon as I can! Thanks guys, gotta run! Until next time…

Lauren

Disclaimer: only lame-o's who don't own Harry Potter have to write disclaimers! Hey, wait a sec…

Chapter five

Tedious Trials

"Love Harry?" she asked back, seemingly perplexed, and calm for the first time since she consumed the potion.

"Yeah, you know, Harry…the boy who just walked out. The boy you danced with at the ball. The boy you broke up with. You know, Harry, the boy who lived!" Ron exclaimed, obviously not taking this as seriously as everyone else. Hermione shot him a look that almost gave Ron whiplash. He looked down at his hands while Hermione took over.

"Ginny, do you love Harry?" Hermione asked again.

Ginny's eyes glazed over, and Hermione could tell the potion was finally working correctly. She stared at not Hermione, but Ron instead.

"Of course I love Harry." She stated simply. The vicariously honest Ginny couldn't feel the tear crawling down her cheek. Ron's eyes lit up. _I knew it! I knew it! He looked up at her and took her hands in his. Before he could speak, Ginny continued._

"You're right, I did break up with him. Of course, it broke my heart, and I wish I could take it all back. But he doesn't love me the way I love him. I can tell. That's why he didn't oppose when I said we should break up. He didn't care to. Not at all," she said monotonously. If it hadn't been for the potion, she would surely have rather been tortured than reveal her feelings for him. Either that, or she'd be blushing like a tomato. 

"Ginny…no one knew you felt that way! Why didn't you tell us, or him for that matter?" Ron asked, feeling empathetic for Harry. _She should have said something, he's been heartbroken this whole time… he thought scornfully._

"No one knows. I don't want anyone to know. I'm in love with Harry. Not even he knows that. And I don't want him to know either. If he finds out, that's the end of me…"

"Why? He absolutely loves you! You may not know it, but he would do **anything for you!"**

"Yes, but it's easy to love someone. But to be in love…they're too completely separate concepts. Sure, Harry loves me, just as he loves you and Hermione. But he's not in love with me. It's not like you and Hermione; you both are in love with each other, and it's obvious. But us? I'm in love with Harry, and…well." Ron was a little scared, he had never seen Ginny so honest, yet so emotionless at the same time. He looked at Hermione, to see if she had noticed as well, but as he did, he thought that, for one instant, he had seen himself in her eyes. Shocked, he stared harder, but the strain made him blink, and as soon as he went back to find it, the reflected Ron was gone. For the first time ever, Ron was not only speechless, but his brain could formulate only one thought. _So this is what being in love is like… _

Hermione didn't notice Ron's revelation. She was too preoccupied with the complexity of her own feelings. _Loving someone and being in love with them are really two different things... How did Ginny know they were in love? Hermione hadn't even known. But know that Ginny had told her…_

"Ron, that's it!" she exclaimed excitedly as she jumped up from her seat. Ron looked at her confusedly, wondering what she could be so excited about at a time like this, but he gave in as she yanked him from his own seat. Ginny just stared blankly at the two and stated that she would remain at the table and that they shouldn't wait for her. The two left the room, Ron involuntarily led by Hermione. 

They rushed up the stairs and burst through the portrait hole, while the fat lady yelled out (to no one in particular) about the lax school policies and rules in the hallways. Harry was there in a chair writing a paper for Potions when Hermione rushed over and took his books from his lap, setting them on the table. Harry looked up, confused, but fell silent as Hermione placed her hands on his knees and stared him down like a lion. Finally, she broke the silence.

"Harry, you're in love with Ginny," she stated matter-of-factly. 

Harry stayed silent. _What? I'm in love with Ginny? I- hey, I'm in love with Ginny…I didn't even realize…how did she know?_

"Well?" she asked impatiently.

"Hermione, how did you—I mean, I didn't even—what's going on?" he asked, finally catching a hold of the situation. Why did they care anyway?

"It doesn't matter! Ron, you stay here with him, make sure he doesn't leave…I'll be right back with Ginny." With that, she ran back out of the common room, and Ron and Harry looked at each other.

Immediately, Harry attempted to jump out of his chair and escape, but he hadn't realized that all that quidditch training had really gotten Ron into shape. Harry was shoved back into his chair and held there, only able to yell helplessly for someone's, anyone's assistance. And all Ron did was laugh.

After a few minutes, Hermione returned, dragging Ginny in like a stubborn dog. She eyed the situation and was completely astounded. _What the—But before she could ask, she was pushed into a chair, which was then turned to face Harry. By now, most of the potion had worn off, so she blushed obscenely when she saw who she was sitting in front of. As soon as everyone was settled, Hermione stood next to the both of them, looking at them expectantly._

"Well Harry, go on, say it!"

"Er…say what?" he asked, playing dumb.

Frustrated, but not completely unprepared, she turned to Ron. 

"Have you got any left?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small bottle, looking at it hopefully.

"Well, there's a drop left," he said with a weak smile.

"Oh, that won't work…" she muttered as Harry began squirming again. Then, suddenly, she reached over, grabbed the bottle from Ron's hand, and took off up the stairs to the girls' dorms. A minute later she returned, a nearly full bottle in her hands. She walked back, trying to keep her dignity as Ron snickered. 

"Hermione…do you **really**** think that's going to work?"**

But she raised her head, ignoring his comment, and gave Ron a _you__-know-what-to-do_ look. Ron nodded, then, as best he could, (as Harry had been expecting it) held Harry's arms back as Hermione tilted the bottle back into his mouth. To make things more complicated, Harry decided to 'choke', in an attempt to make them stop. But this only made Hermione more determined, and Ginny shift uncomfortably in her seat and squeal a little bit. No doubt she was worried.

Finally, the deed was done, and Harry sat still and looked at Ginny. Hermione gave a sort of a triumphant 'hmph!' and resumed her position next to them.

"So, Harry, are you in love with Ginny?"

"In love with Ginny? I loved Ginny the moment I laid eyes on her. Of course, I didn't know it then, as I was only 11. Normally people don't really know what love is at that age. Frankly, I'm not sure I know what love is now… what was the question?"

Hermione rolled her eyes as Ron placed his head in his hands.


	6. Reluctant Reunion

A/N: Hey all! Lauren here. I am so very sorry it took me so long to update! But good news: I've got my computer back! My little baby! Yay! So now I can keep writing over the weekend. Also, I thought I'd let you all know that, if you want to read the alternate ending, I can post it now, and I will, right now actually. It'll be on Complex Attractions, so if you'd like to read it, you'll find it there. Okie dokie? Alrighty! I hope you like it! But be warned, it's a bit darker than I usually write, and it's a bit violent, so if you don't like that stuff, don't read it! Heehee, okay then! Okay, hope you enjoy this chapter! And I'm planning on introducing new things, cause to me, this is getting a bit dragged out, if ya know what I mean…new changes! Okay! Enjoy! And make sure to review!

Lauren

Disclaimer: No matter how much I offer J.K., she refuses to sell me the rights to Harry Potter! If anyone has any money they'd like to contribute to my "Fans Own Harry Potter" fund, please, please, feel free to send it! Maybe, if we join forces, we can do this! 

Chapter six

Reluctant Reunion

Ron growled while he rubbed his head frustratingly. Hermione nearly laughed at the scene before her eyes. Ginny just sat there, mortified. _What are they doing? Is this some kind of joke??_ She thought. And then she imagined a crowd of people in the common room, laughing at her after Harry revealed the whole trick. Ron and even Hermione were laughing. Ginny shook herself out of it and looked back at Harry. Though it could have very well made a great prank, the current topic didn't seem like something Harry would joke about. 

Harry looked around like a newborn baby, taking in everything about the room. _Obviously this potion hasn't been tested for side effects…_ Ron thought as he sat down on the arm of Ginny's chair. Harry brought his focus back to Ron, and smiled dumbly.

"Okay Harry, let's try this again, shall we?" Ron asked, with a touch of impatience. Harry chuckled. _Oh, bloody hell…_

Ginny almost laughed herself, but one accidentally glance into his eyes made her think twice. For, even though he was acting like a total baboon, his eyes still held that same fiery passion she had always noticed when he looked at her. Suddenly, she found herself kneeling on the floor in front of Harry's chair, before Ron had a chance to hold her back. Harry looked down at her goofily. 

"Harry, are you sure you love me—er, Ginny?" Ron looked hopefully at Hermione, who nervously fiddled with her hair. 

"Of course I'm sure! I've always loved Ginny. I don't think I could lie about something like that. Though I guess I have been, I mean, by not telling her and all. I think it's better that way. She seems like she's moved on anyway. It breaks my heart to think she has though. Well, actually, it broke my arm, but it feels like it broke my heart. It's a good thing Quidditch is starting again soon, that way I can take my mind off it for a while. Although quidditch will be harder this time, being captain and all. But it'll be fun, I mean-"

But Harry stopped. Hermione and Ron looked around to see if anyone else was witnessing this miracle. _Could it be? Could it really be?_ Was Ginny really kissing Harry? Or was it just a figment of Ron's imagination? No no, it was real. Real enough for Hermione to drag Ron from the room out of common decency. Obviously Ron had no manners. Or he was too surprised and elated to move. Either way, Hermione and Ron quietly left up the stairs to the boys' dormitory, and Ginny was left with Harry.

Ginny pulled away and sat back in her chair. She looked around, panicked, while Harry shook his head and ran his hands through his hair. He felt his eyes pull back into focus, and had no recollection of anything that had happened in the last, oh, fifteen minutes or so. But all he could tell was that he felt very strange, and the pain in his arm was stronger than ever. That, and Ginny had just bolted up the stairs to her dorm. _What the--?_

It was all he could do to sit there and rub his head, confused. _What just happened? My mind feels completely…blank. Odd.._ And he sat there for a while, too. Just thinking, and rubbing his arm in an effort to alleviate the pain. It wasn't long until he laid on the couch and looked out the window. At least, if he couldn't find peace mentally, he could see it out the window. The moon was bright and full, and the stars were twinkling softly. It looked so lovely. Within ten minutes, his head had drooped over, and he had fallen into slumber.

Ginny sat on her bed, her mind ransacked, and her hands stuffed under a pillow. _What am I doing? I just kissed him! What was I thinking? Then again, he did say he loved you, and he was sure about it! You did the right thing! Go back down there and tell him how you feel! He obviously feels the same way! Go! Go! _ After a few minutes of pacing the room and running her hands through her hair, she threw caution to the wind and took off down the stairs. Luckily for her, he was already asleep. She really hadn't wanted to say anything. Not now, anyway. He probably didn't even remember her kissing him. 

She knelt down next to his sleeping form and rested her hand on his. With her other hand, she brushed his hair off his forehead, and impulsively, without a second thought, she leaned in and pecked his forehead. And she poured out her soul. She told him everything she had wanted to tell him. At least now she would know she didn't completely chicken out. And when she was done, she felt lighter. Like a weight had been lifted from her heart. She stood up to leave, but she saw Harry turn begin to turn over restlessly in his sleep. _Ah, come on, for old times sake…_

She gently nudged him over, and slid onto the couch next to him. Careful not to touch his arm, she slipped her hand onto his stomach, snuggled herself in comfortably, and closed her eyes.

Boy, was Harry surprised when he woke up in the morning.


	7. Sweet Settlement

A/N: Lauren here! And I have chapter seven here for you! I hope y'all like it! Yep, I have a bit of a country twang today, don't know why. Anyway, I'm glad you guys liked the last one, and I'm glad you guys liked the alternate ending! Yeah, I admit, I was shocked when I actually read everything I had written. It was pretty dark, especially for me as a writer. And it was like, 10 pages long too, which was also a little out of the ordinary. But for some reason, I just couldn't stop writing, it was like this weird thing that kept pouring out onto the pages, and I just couldn't stop it, so…according to you guys, you want me to write some sort of epilogue for that thing, right? Well, I think I can do that for ya! One epilogue, coming right up! I always wanted to follow that up, but I wasn't sure if you guys would like it, which is why I didn't make it part of the actual story. But now I'll write you guys that epilogue. Yay! Alright, enough of my babbling, on to the chapter!

Lauren

Chapter seven

Sweet Settlement

Harry woke with a start. He felt something moving against him. Oddly enough, he had been dreaming of being in a snake pit, so feeling slithering against his skin really wasn't comforting at the moment. Not that it would ever be comforting, but…

He slid into an upright position and looked down. There, he saw the last thing he ever expected to be sleeping on his lap. Her head was snuggled in the space between his chest and his arm, and her lips were pressed against his chest. He heaved a very relieved sigh, and then realized exactly whom he was sleeping with. (haha, not that way, sillies!) He gave her a questioning glance, and then noticed that he was questioning a sleeping girl. Confused, but too tired to even bother, he slid back down, rested his head on the arm of the sofa, and went back to sleep. 

A few hours later, Ginny was awoken by the bright sun peering through the windows. She rubbed her eyes, sat up, and yelped when she saw who was next to her. She clapped her hand over her mouth, but it was too late. Harry stretched out his arms, and it looked like he was about to go back to sleep, so she stuck her legs over the edge of the couch and went to stand up. It would probably be better if he didn't wake up with her there. Besides, how would she explain the current situation? She had sort of invited herself there…

As soon as she stood up, she felt herself fall back on the couch. _Oh no! Is he waking up?!? Okay, okay, he's still asleep…_ Indeed, Harry hadn't moved. She waited a moment just to make sure, and stood up slowly. But as soon as she turned to leave—

"Oh, no you don't…" 

Ginny spun around. Well, not voluntarily. Something grabbing her wrist had spun her around. And this something was looking at her with a smirk on his face. _Don't panic, don't panic…_ she kept thinking.

"Where ya going?" he asked, almost laughing at the look of horror on Ginny's face. 

"Um, I was uh, well…" _Oh Merlin, I panicked! Stop! Stop!_

"Well?"

"I was going back upstairs to bed, you see, because I came down here to check on you, that's all, and since you seem perfectly fine, I thought I'd just uh, go back upstairs! So uh, I guess I'll be going now…" 

_Okay, he's not **that **__dense, Ginny…_

No, he was not. He stood up, still holding her wrist, and looked into her eyes. She tried her best not to tremble under his stare, but those eyes, they just…

"Ginny, I-" suddenly, he wasn't really sure what to say. All this time, he had been hoping something like this would happen, but he had spent so long doubting it that he hadn't really expected it to happen. _Do something, do something! _he yelled inside his head. 

He took her hands in his and smiled. Well, he tried to, anyway. For some reason he got really nervous. He felt his hands get a little clammy, and his knees went a bit weak, and-

_Is he kissing me? Oh my gosh, he's kissing me…_

A minute later, Harry pulled back, holding Ginny's chin in his hands. She looked up at him and felt her lips tremble. Neither of them knew what to say, or what to do, so they simply stood there, looking into each other's eyes, until…

Ginny and Harry both heard the footsteps coming down the stairs, but neither of them turned to see who it was. But after a second, the footsteps stopped. Now, if one of them had looked over, they would have seen Ron and Hermione, both looking very surprised. Pleased, of course, but surprised all the same. They were going to wake up Harry and take him down to breakfast with them, but…they decided it was best to simply make their way through the portrait hole without them. 

Harry closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers. She finally found the strength to move her hands, and placed them over behind his ears affectionately. He opened his eyes and looked up at her. 

"Ginny, I—I've just felt so…*sigh* I miss you. Terribly. I can't stand looking at you and knowing that I can't be with you, or talk to you, or hold you, because it drives me crazy. I- I just need you, that's all. Does that sound crazy?" he asked her in a whisper, relieved to have finally told her how he felt.

"Crazy?" she asked with a small chuckle. "Of course it sounds crazy…" She wrapped her arms around him tightly, not daring to let him go. It felt so wonderful to be back in his arms, something she had missed but had always underestimated the value of. He placed his hand behind her neck and pulled her head closer. He could hardly believe it, he was holding her again…

A couple hours later, Ron and Hermione returned from the library, figuring it was safe to return to the common room. Whatever had been said had probably taken all effect by now. They gave the fat lady the password, climbed through the portrait hole, and found Harry and Ginny talking on the sofa, and they were holding hands. When they heard the portrait hole open, Ginny turned around and smiled at the two enterers. Those two enterers figured it was best to let them catch up, so they headed up to the boys' dorms, hand in hand. 

"I told you it was a good idea," Ron whispered in Hermione's ear. Hermione elbowed him, then leaned in and kissed him in the cheek.

"You sure did…"


	8. Quidditch Qualms

Hey guys! I have chapter eight for you here! I hope you all like it, it took me a little longer to get right, and I'm not even sure it's even right now. But anyway, I made it a bit longer than usual. It was ten pages, but I figured I could use some of that for the beginning of the next chapter, so here you go, eight pages of story! Hope you enjoy, don't forget to review!

Lauren

Disclaimer: Haha, if only I owned Harry Potter! But noo, I'm just a dumb high school junior, busy researching colleges, when I could be writing a freakin novel! Damn cruel world! Anyway, I don't own Harry Potter. Shucks! 

Chapter eight

Quidditch Qualms

THUMP!

Ron rolled over onto his stomach and pushed himself up, his eyes still closed. He felt the carpet beneath his fingers as he made it to his knees. He opened his eyes and looked around. _Ah yes, this old scenario… _He got up to his feet, got back into his bed, and closed his eyes, trying to escape from the tenth nightmare he'd had that week. They all started exactly the same: 

He would walk out onto the quidditch pitch, get onto his broom, push off, and fly around. He would fly through the goal posts, swoop around, and then get the goal posts on the other side. He would always get that wonderfully peaceful feeling up in the air, and he very much liked it.

Then, Harry would appear, out of nowhere, on his broom, and join him through the goal posts. Soon it would turn into a race. A friendly race, of course. He would look down and notice Hermione and Ginny, watching from the stands and cheering them on. For a few minutes they would simply glide through the air, completely content, until…

A shriek could be heard from far below. Surprised, Ron would look down, and what he saw was always a mystery. One night, the first time he had the nightmare, it was Ginny being kidnapped. The next night? Hermione was struck by a stray bludger. Tonight's dream was particularly strange: Hermione just randomly disappeared. Ginny was crying hysterically, because there had been nothing she could do to stop it. There was no explanation for it at all. Ron had no idea what these dreams meant, but he got the general feeling that he wasn't meant to play quidditch. Not at all. He had told Harry about them, but Harry had just reassured him that the dreams were only the surfacing of his nervousness and insecurity for the tryouts, which happened to be taking place the next day. Ron had guessed he was right, but he was still a bit freaked out about it. He had considered telling Hermione, but then he had tried to imagine her reaction…

"Well, I know that dreaming about something like that once is normal, perfectly normal, but dreaming about it repeatedly…I'm not sure Ron, maybe you should talk to Dumbledore, or maybe even Madame Pomfrey. You may be some sort of psychological problems. Or maybe you're just really nervous. But I think you should talk to, well, talk to both of them, just to be safe, all right? I don't want anything to happen to you, I don't know what I'd do! Promise me you'll talk to them, okay? Promise?"

Definitely not something he could handle at the moment. 

He lay down, trying to think happy thoughts, thoughts about him and Hermione, and… nothing seemed to be distracting him from the disturbing and upsetting thought of Hermione suddenly disappearing. The past nightmares had scared him, but this one really shook him. He felt a chill run though his body and pulled the covers closer to him, snuggling his head into his pillow. After willing himself to think happy thoughts, he realized that attempting to fall back asleep was hopeless. He took a blanket from the end of the bed, grabbed Hermione's arithmancy book off his bedstand (she had convinced him it was at worth skimming through) and headed downstairs. Maybe he could sleep easier if he was in front of a warm fire. And if not, hey, he could at least learn something. 

Wait, Ron, wanting to learn something? He really **was **desperate.

He got downstairs, lay on the couch, pulled the blanket over his legs, and rested the book on his stomach. He was about to open it, when suddenly he felt his eyes droop uncontrollably. Within minutes, he was deep in a relaxed, dreamless sleep.

The next morning, Ron awoke from the touch of Hermione's lips on his forehead. He opened his eyes to find the loveliest chin he had ever seen right above his nose. She pulled back and smiled. Ron just looked at her, very glad to see her.

"So, did you sleep well?" she asked in a sweet whisper.

"Yeah, actually, I did, strangely enough, considering…" he said, stretching his arms out in front of him. She leaned in again and kissed his cheek. 

"Hmm, that's good, I'm glad. Cause now you get to explain to me why you didn't tell me about your nightmares!" she bellowed, getting to her feet and placing her hands on her hips. Ron felt his hands grow clammy and a bit of a sweat broke out on his forehead.

Okay, okay, just be calm, this will all be okay. Just say something reeeeally convincing…

"Hermione, I only didn't tell you because I thought you would get worried, and I didn't want you to worry about me, that's all! I mean, you've got enough things to worry about, what with all your head girl duties, and the events coming up you have to organize, and keeping that perfect GPA of yours," he said with a sly grin. "I just didn't want you to be worried about something not worth worrying about."

_Wow! And I didn't even make it up! _

Hermione looked at him with a puzzling expression. She was smiling, while trying not to smile. Her eyes glistened, but very, very persistently, even with her trying to look stern. She sat back down next to him and rested her hand on his knee.

"I'm sorry I got so upset. I just want you to tell me about these things, okay? It's not like I get **that** worried about things anyway, right?"

Ron looked at her blankly, too afraid to show any sort of emotion, in fear that laughing would surely upset Hermione even more.

"Hey, okay, okay, I get it, I just worry too much. But it's only because I care, you know that, right?" 

He sat up to pull Hermione into his arms.

"Of course, and I'm so lucky you care so much. I'll tell you next time, all right?"

Hermione nodded and kissed his neck. 

Three hours later, Ron was pacing the common room, broom in hand, practically rubbing the carpet bare with his rough gait. Harry was sitting in a chair, flexing his arm(he had finally been able to take off his sling), trying not to laugh at Ron for being so unnecessarily nervous. Ginny was on the arm of his chair, playing with his hair thoughtlessly while listening to Hermione, who was in a chair behind Ron, attempt to allay his fears.

"Ron, you know you're going to do fine, you're an excellent Quidditch player, anyone could tell you that. Besides, it runs in the family, all of your brothers, okay, except Percy, have all been on the house team! There's no doubting you can do it Ron, you just have to relax. Trust yourself," Hermione insisted. Ron was trying to, he really was. But his nerves were getting the best of him. He began taking deep breaths and running his hands through his hair. Harry looked down at his watch, kissed Ginny's cheek, (which made her blush, she hadn't quite grown used to his affectionate gestures yet) and wished Ron luck before heading out the portrait hole. This only made Ron more nervous. Hermione took his hand in hers, wrapped her arm around his, and squeezed it tight. 

"Ron, you can do it, I know you can!"

He smiled at her appreciatively, kissed her forehead, and headed upstairs to splash his face with water. He wasn't sure how this would help him, but since he was really frantic he couldn't think of much else to do. He jumped back down the stairs, hugged Ginny, blew Hermione a kiss, and made his way through the portrait hole. As soon as he left, the girls exchanged worried looks.

"Do you really think he'll make it?" Ginny asked, feeling guiltily doubtful.

"Of course he will! He just, well…ooh, we'd better go watch." 

Ron took his broom up in both hands and stood in the center of the field. He sighed heavily, looked up at the sky, and smiled. He knew that, as soon as he got up there, he'd be fine. Now, if he could just make it up there…

"Ron, you ready?"

Ron looked back down at the table five feet ahead of him. Harry was sitting with Seamus, Dean, and two fifth year boys. Ron examined the faces of all of them, and decided that he might actually have a chance. They all looked nice enough, not too hard to impress. He sighed again, stepped over his broom, and nodded. Harry stood up, walked over to the quidditch box, and unlatched the hook. He looked over at Ron before he set free one of the bludgers. Ron gulped. Harry quickly ran over, handed him a bat, and patted him on the back. He closed his eyes tightly, then pushed off high into the air. 

Immediately, he felt somewhat relaxed, if you could possibly be relaxed knowing there was a bludger out there with your name on it. He heard the whizzing sound, spun around, and whacked it with all his might. When he looked up, it was twenty, thirty, fifty feet away. He heard the faint sound of cheering from below him, and he smiled confidently. _Hey, this isn't as bad as I thought…_ The bludger made it's way back to Ron, and he was able to get a good five shots at it. He looked down to Harry, but was surprised when he found him flying up from right behind him.

"Okay Ron, I want you to hit the bludger back down to Seamus, aim as best as you can, and then we're going to do some laps, all right?"

Ron nodded, then readied the bat over his shoulder. He gave it a good smack, slipped the bat under his arm, and took hold of his broomstick. The two boys sped off toward the goal posts. Ron was doing pretty well, Harry thought. He couldn't help but think Ron was much better than himself, and he awaited the moment he could tell him so. He knew how much it meant to Ron.

Things were going well. Harry called out to Ron for him to meet him in the center of the field. Suddenly, Ron felt an ominous feeling tearing at his stomach. He looked down and saw Ginny and Hermione walking across the field to the table. But something wasn't right. Where was the other bludger?


	9. Giddy Getaway

Hey all, this is Lauren with chapter nine! I figured that, since I had started out writing along with the current time that I would write two chapters tonight, one to catch up and one Valentine's Day themed one. It would feel kinda weird doing it later, right? Plus, it's good for me to try and keep up, or else it'll get a bit messy…anyway, this is the first of two chapters you'll see today, I hope you like! And I have a very special chapter coming up in about 2 weeks…those of you who know your dates may know what I'm talking about…if not, you'll see! Enjoy, and don't forget to review!

Lauren

Disclaimer: Haha, if I owned Harry Potter, I definitely wouldn't be breaking Ron's leg to get you guys to read this, I'd be far too cool for that! So no, no owning of HP is coming from this house. No sirree Bob!

Chapter nine

Giddy Getaway

Ron looked around, searching frantically for it, when he saw it and panicked. It was headed for the table…without a second thought, he pressed against the broom and sped off to the ground. The bludger was going faster and faster, no sign of a change in direction. Harry, confused, took off after him. The people below had no clue what was about to happen, they were too involved in some conversation. Ron's eyes squinted to follow the stray bludger. It was three feet from Hermione, when—

*THUD*

Ron and Hermione were on the ground five feet away, their legs entangled in a heap of, well, Ron and Hermione. Harry touched down and ran towards them. Dean, Seamus, and the two fifth years stood up and looked over cautiously. Hermione rolled over, grabbed her head, and moaned. Ron propped himself onto his elbows, afraid to move his legs because of the tingling sensation running through them. Seamus stood up, walked a few feet away, and waited for the bludger to return. 

"Hermione, are you okay?" Ron asked, pain in his voice.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine, are you okay?"

"Er, yeah, I'm fine. Just a little bruise is all…" he grabbed Harry's arm and pulled himself up. He felt his left leg give out, but Harry caught him. 

"We'd better get you to Pomfrey…" he said, pulling Ron's arm around his shoulder and leaning his weight onto him. Ginny helped Hermione up, but Hermione didn't speak. She couldn't help but feel guilty. He had been saving her. 

"Hermione, are you okay? Sheesh, that must have been so frightening! I can't believe it!" 

Hermione merely nodded. She had no idea what was going on around her, all she could think about was Ron. She started after them, but her arm felt strangely tingly. She stopped to rub it, when she suddenly fell to the ground with a shriek. Ron and Harry turned around to see. Ginny was knelt down by her side, lifting her limp body into a sitting position. Harry half-walked, half-carried Ron over to the girls, but the sight before them was too much for Ron; the minute he caught a glance of her, he fainted right there on the spot. 

"Ah, bloody hell…" Harry moaned, looking helplessly down at Ginny. 

Three days later, Ron opened his eyes and saw a wash of white. Confused, he sat up, tore his eyes from the ceiling, looked around, and saw a few beds next to him. _Ah, the hospital room. But… why am I here?_ He turned to look towards the door when his eye caught a glance of something directly to his right; frightened, he cautiously reached over and shook it gently. It stirred quietly as Ron watched, and as it curled its legs into its chest, it rubbed its face sleepily, and moved its covers enough for Ron to express a good gasp. 

"**Hermione??**"

She snuggled her head into her pillow some, then remained completely still. Ron just stared at her, seriously confused. Why were they in the hospital room? Feeling lost and lonely, and needing some answers quickly, he nudged her again, this time not so gently. She groaned, sounding quite annoyed, and began swatting at Ron's intrusive pushes. Finally, she opened her eyes and glared at Ron.

"What do you want?" she asked with a hint of a slur. She automatically swept her hand across her chin, as though suddenly ticked by a feather. Ron frowned.

"Hermione, why are we in here?"

"What in the world makes you think **I **know?" she said, all sign of her slur gone. She looked around, seeing just where **here** was, when she suddenly sat bolt right in her bed.

"What **are** we doing here?" she asked, panicked. They looked at each other, lost for words, when Ron motioned her to lean in closer, a clever look on his face.

"Ron, you do realize that no one else can possibly hear us, seeing as how there's **no one else in here**," she hissed, thinking this must have been the most obvious thing in the world. Ron smiled awkwardly, then leaned in closer anyway Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I think we should get out of here, what do you think?" he asked, thinking this was the best plan ever.

"Ron, do you realize how likely it is we'd be caught? Besides, what's Pomfrey going to think when she comes in to check on us and we're not there? She'd have a fit!"

Ron looked at her apprehensively, but was not deterred to the least. If she wouldn't agree to go, he'd have to handle it himself. He swung his legs over the side of his bed, pulling back his covers, and stepped onto the floor. He slowly walked over, feeling his leg tensing slightly under the pressure of his weight, and pulled back Hermione's blanket. She squirmed a little, muttering something about an overlooking of women's input in society, but Ron lifted her into his arms with ease. He carried her over to the door, quickly opened the door, and slipped them out and down the hallway. Hermione watched Ron amusedly as he tore down the stairs, not unlike James Bond would do. Not that mentioning this would make any sense; Ron had no idea who that was. She kept quiet until finally, he reached the portrait of the fat lady. She seemed deep in a peaceful sleep, which made it all the more fun to-

"CANDY HEARTS!" he bellowed. It was obvious he was in quite the boisterous mood. 

The fat lady nearly flew out of her seat, grabbing on to the edge of a nearby table for support as she pulled herself up. She stared daggers at him while Hermione chuckled softly into Ron's shoulder.

Without a word, she swung open violently, hoping to knock them over, but they were two inches out of her reach. Sniggering, Ron swiftly climbed inside, careful to avoid her harsh closing, and continued up the stairs to the girls' dorms. He lay her down, kissed her forehead, and stood up to leave, when Hermione pulled him back until he toppled over onto her bed.

"Stay with me?" she asked, a keen look in her eyes and a broad smile on her lips.

Ron rolled his eyes, mocking annoyance, and rolled over to face her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, grateful he didn't have to resort to cuddling with her in a hospital bed.


	10. Valentine Vision

Hey all you cool people who read my story! I know I said that I would be putting up two chapters tonight, so…here they are! But I just decided that this Valentine's one that I just wrote is going to be in two parts. This is the first one, and the second one will be posted tomorrow! Yay, I'm so excited I can barely speak! Which is funny, cause I'm typing…anyway, enjoy this, and don't forget to review!

Lauren

Disclaimer: No! I don't own Harry Potter! But I do own Valentine's Day, and all things associated with it!

Hmm…I wonder if I can get sued for **that**…

Chapter ten

Valentine Vision

The start of February brought light snow and frequent appearances of sunshine. As the seasons would be changing soon, the rain and snow were beginning to fade out, and the sun was beginning to shine more prominently these days, which was something Ron definitely did not mind, as it made quidditch practice much easier. He had learned that it wasn't very much fun trying to tackle attacking bludgers when you could barely see half a foot in front of you But no matter, he enjoyed it all the same. 

It was a week until Valentine's Day, but if you had asked Ron or Harry, it might have been just another day. Neither of them were remotely aware that any sort of romantic endeavors were supposed to occur. It wasn't until Seamus said something to them about it that it finally registered.

"So, what are you guys doing for your ladies for Valentine's day?" he asked quietly, trying to come up with romantic predictions for his classmates on Valentine's Day. Professor Trelawney had gotten herself into the holiday spirit and predicted that—what else—Harry would be brutally dumped by his significant other, causing a heartbreak so painful that he was sure to die from it. Yes, even the cheeriness of Valentine's Day couldn't stop Trelawney from predicting his death. Though it only made Harry realize that death was now available in fun, holiday-themed packages. 

Ron looked up at Seamus questioningly. Harry was too busy frantically writing down his newest prediction to notice. Seamus, intrigued, read over his shoulder and began laughing hysterically at what he had written, which basically stated that Dean, attempting to send Lavender a Valentine's gift (they had become quite smitten with each other after the prank incident) would accidentally send the gift to another girl, Parvati, (who was also hopelessly smitten with him), who would then assume the gift was for her and that he was professing his love for her. All chaos would ensue, and all three parties would end up alone, depressed, and thoroughly ruffled from the experience. Seamus couldn't help but feel his predictions had only fallen short, but quickly went back to his original train of thought. 

"So what are you guys planning?" 

Again, Ron looked up at him, wondering what he was getting at.

"You mean, we're supposed to plan something? I don't know, what should I do? I mean, Harry, you didn't know about this, did you?" he asked, eyebrows hiding underneath his hair.

"Well, actually…" Harry began.

"Ah, what is it Harry? What have you planned?" Seamus pressed, noticing the grin on his face. Ron looked at him incredulously.

"You mean, you knew, and you didn't even tell me about it? So I'm just supposed to look like some great big prat while everyone else has all these romantic plans? Thanks Harry, how kind of you!" he yelped, punching Harry in the arm. 

"Well, I just um, thought we'd go to—ouch!—Hogsmeade, take a nice nighttime stroll, you know, just stuff…" Harry answered to Seamus, trying (and failing) to dodge Ron's attacks. 

"Well well well, aren't we quite the romantic!" said Seamus, making Harry feel quite awkward, especially in front of Ron, who stopped punching his arm out of what seemed to him like shock. 

"Hey hey, wait a minute, that's my sister! I'm not so sure about any 'nighttime strolls', especially in Hogsmeade with no one to watch over you guys…" he said in that overprotective brother tone. 

"Hey, Ron, don't worry, I'm sure Harry wouldn't dream of doing anything you would disapprove of, right Harry?"

Boy, dating your best friend's sister and planning something romantic for the two of you at the same time wasn't quite the easy task. Not like, say, predicting the downfall of every Hogwarts couples on Valentine's Day. 

Ron accompanied Harry down to the Great Hall for dinner, where they met Hermione and Ginny eating lunch. They seemed to be having quite a splendiferous time, conversing about their classes and some arithmancy lesson too boring to hear. The boys greeted them and sat down, but right away Hermione could tell something was wrong. She tapped on Ron's shoulder until he finally spun around, almost impatiently. 

"What?" he asked, looking flustered.

"Oh, well, I was just wondering if everything was all right; you just seem a bit, well, worried about something I guess," she said, trying not to let his attitude get to her. _Whatever it is, it wasn't me, right? Right. Okay. So why don't I believe it? _she thought, waiting for his answer.

"Oh, nothing. I'm fine," he answered monotonously, turning back around and resting is head on his hands. Hermione looked at Ginny, and then to Harry, but neither could offer any insight into the situation. A little put off, she moved her peas around her plate until finally she couldn't stay any longer. She bid them farewell, then took off for the library. As soon as she left, Harry and Ginny turned their attention to Ron.

"Ron, what is wrong with you? Are you okay, or are you mad or something, because you just completely blew off Hermione," Ginny hissed in his direction. Ron looked at them, uncertainty in his eyes. He looked back and forth between the two in front of him, contemplating whether or not to bother him with his troubles, when finally he found he couldn't keep it inside any longer. 

"You guys, what am I gonna do? I have nothing planned for Valentine's Day, and it's in like, 5 days! I mean, you've got your plan Harry, and so does everyone else, but I don't! And I'm going to look like a fool with nothing to do when everyone else is off being all sappy and romantic. What do I do?" he cried desperately, feeling as though his words had gushed out from a broken dam. Ginny and Harry both chose to ignore his comment about Harry's plan, hoping that the other might not have caught his reference to it, and looked at each other, deep in thought. Ginny looked down at her hands, which only discouraged Ron even more. But finally, Ginny spoke up.

"Ron, I think I know exactly what you can do…"


	11. Please Read Me! Update!

Hey everybody, if anybody is actually out there...

Okay, so as you know, I haven't written anything for 'Take It or Leave It' in quite some time, and I just sort of unexpectedly abandoned it, etc, etc. Well, I feel as though I owe you all an apology, as I sort of got disheartened and gave up on it. I know I shouldn't have left you all waiting for more, and for that I'm so, so sorry. I've decided that I am in fact NOT going to finish that story, and here is why:

1) I'm not quite sure where exactly I was going with the story. I mean, it had a vague plot, (to get Harry and Ginny back together), but getting there didn't seem as clear as the plot of Complex Attractions was. It was really easy for me to think of conflicts and situations in Complex Attractions, but for this story, the inspiration was, well, lagging somewhere 20 feet behind me. 

2) As it has been almost what, three months since the last chapter, I feel that continuing now would just feel odd. Since I left off with the first half of Valentine's Day, and that was quite some time ago, and we have all forgotten about that day, it wouldn't make much sense at all to continue there, as no one is in that mindset any more.

3) I guess I just got to the point where I wasn't writing for the fun of it, I was writing because I had to, and that isn't a good mindframe for writing a story at all. Had I continued, you all would have been bored out of your minds. So even though I'm at the point right now where I want to write, and I finally have the time (school's a killer!) I'm so far past that stage of the story. It wouldn't fit together if I continued it now, three months later.

That said, I'm really here to tell you that…

I'm going to start a new story soon. 

Now, I don't mean tonight or tomorrow, or anytime in the next week. Though I have a general idea of what the story will be about (no doubt some Ron/Hermione action), I still need to

1) figure out, in detail, exactly where I want to go with the story,

2) think about the main characters, the setting, the time, etc., and

3) this time, I'm going to really write. Sure, I was satisfied with the quality with which I wrote Complex Attractions, but after seeing what happened with Take It, I really want to be able to put my all into it this time, instead of being half focused on it, you know what I mean?

Okay, so now that you know my plan, I hope you understand where I'm coming from and that you don't think I'm some really anal-retentive, obnoxious hag. Cause I'm not. I promise. This time, I want to want to write my story, not just feel like I have to. So I hope you all understand, and maybe you'll even consider reading this next one. For those of you who are interested, look for it in the next two weeks or so…

Your (very sorry) author-friend-lady,

Lauren


	12. Another AN! Please Read!

Okay you guys! So yesterday, I lied. Not purposely, but oh well. Tonight, I was sitting here at my computer, writing the beginnings of what promised to be quite the exciting history essay, when suddenly, it hit me: I was being inspired with an idea for a new story! And it's perfect, I got it. and the first chapter is up. Yes, yes, I know I said two weeks, but inspiration doesn't sit around waiting, now does it?? Didn't think so. Anyway, I don't want to tell you what it is about yet, you've got to go see for yourselves! I will tell you three things though…

1) it's much more mature. And I don't mean in a sexual sort of way, although I can tell you right now that I'm not gonna be so afraid to put that stuff in my story when the time comes, like I was last time…don't worry, no scary hardcore stuff, but just real stuff. They're not eleven any more…

2) it's Ron and Hermione (well duh! Who else would it be??)

3) it's based on a true story (story of my liiiiife, as Social Distortion would say…)

and that's it! So the story is called 

**Do You Believe in Magic?**

And it's under this name still, so you shouldn't get too lost. And yes, it **is** named after that song, by the guy who's name I forgot. Oh well. 

Look for the next chapter in the next few days, alright? Like a week maybe. Yay! Thanks everybody!

And I'll think about writing that epilogue…we'll have to see. 

Lauren


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